HWS Again Cited as Wise Investment

SmartMoney has again recognized Hobart and William Smith as an exceptional investment in its ranking of “Colleges that Help Grads Get Top Salaries.” The Colleges were ranked No. 43 among national public, private and Ivy League institutions. SmartMoney ranked HWS just 10 places behind Yale University.

“Continuing to be recognized in this manner is a tribute to the quality of the education our students receive and the extensive support system provided to students and alums through the Salisbury Center for Career Services and Professional Development,” says President Mark D. Gearan.

The success of many recent graduates in landing key jobs, fellowships and graduate school placement is enhanced by the comprehensive program offered by the Salisbury Center for Career Services and Professional Development. As early as their first semester, HWS students explore how their interests, values and skills translate into a career. The Salisbury Center aids students in finding research opportunities, internships, job placements and graduate study. The HWS Career Network is also key to the success, with more than 5,000 alums volunteering to talk to students about their career paths, provide networking opportunities within their field, serve as mentors, refer students to hiring personnel within their organization, as well as provide internships and entry-level jobs.

In the ranking, SmartMoney collected median pay figures for two age sets of alums: recent grads (who’ve been out of school for three years) and midcareer types (an average of 15 years out). For each age group, they divided the median alumnus salary by tuition and fees (assuming they paid full price at then-current rates), averaged the results and, finally, converted that result to a percentage figure. The outcome is a measure of return on (tuition) investment that they’ve dubbed the Payback Score.

This is one of several recent national accolades. Also this month, Hobart and William Smith Colleges were listed as No. 60 in the “National Liberal Arts Colleges” category, in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 Best Colleges guidebook. Since 2001, Hobart and William Smith Colleges have moved 16 spots in theserankings.

The Colleges also have been included in numerous recent guides such as ThePrinceton Review‘s 2012 edition of “The Best 376 Colleges,” where HWS were named among the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, and in “The Fiske Guide to Colleges,” as part of the 2013 revised and updated edition.

Sierra Magazine ranked Hobart and William Smith Colleges as among “America’s Coolest Schools.” HWS were ranked 40th in the sixth annual ranking of the greenest colleges in the United States that appears in the magazine’s September/October 2012 issue. The Colleges have been rising in the rankings for the past four years, moving steadily from a position of 116th in 2009.